Milk bottle cap



Oct. 23, 1962 l. L. WILCOX MILK BOTTLE CAP Filed Aug. 9, 1960 INVENTORIISAAC L.W|LCOX,

BY 1)- W Jim arms HIS ATTORNEY.

3,059,79? MILK BOTTLE CA1? lsaac L. Wilcox, Fulton, Nfrfl, assignor toSealright- Oswego Falls Corporation, Fulton, N.Y., a corporation of NewYork Filed Aug. 9, i960, Ser. No. 48,380 3 -Claims. Cl. 215-56) The capdisclosed in said patent is formed of thin.

sheet plastic material. it is applied to the bottle top by a simplemechanical applying head. In its application to the bottle top, the capconforms to the top in such a fashion that the cap is not only liquidtight, but also gas tight, whereby air entrapped in the bottle top abovethe surface of the milk cannot readily escape when it is expandedbecause of temperature rise. This results in c:terting pressure againstthe cap sutficient to cause some portion of the cap to be separated fromthe bottle top, and if this happens while any milk is in contact withthe under side of the cap, the milk will be forced out with theescapement of air under pressure. "there is some objection to the milkthus forced out of the bottle under the cap running down the outsidesurface of the bottle.

This invention has as an object a plastic milk bottle cap of the typereferred to embodying a structural arrangement which functions toreadily vent air from Within the bottle, but to prevent the escape ofmilk from the bottle. The invention resides in the novel features and inthe combinations and constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed.

in describing this invention reference is had to the accompanyingdrawings.

in the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a cap embodying my invention.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the Cap with the top disk member removed.

FIGURE 3 is a transverse sectional view of a plurality of caps arrangedin stack formation.

FIGURE 4 is a transverse sectional view of a cap ap plied to a bottletop.

The cap generally comprises a fiat discoidal portion merging with anupwardly extending cylindrical portion adapted to be positioned in thebore of the bottle top.

This cylindrical portion extends over the top edge of the bottle, andmerges with :1 depending skirt portion which,

i when the cap is applied to the bottle, snugly engages the spacedrelation to the cylindrical portion. A fiat disk of relatively heavypaperboard material is positioned in the cylindrical portion of the capon the projection, whereby the disk is spaced upwardly a distance abovethe discoidal portion of the cap. The discoidal portion of the cap isalso formed with a venting aperture whereby air under pressure withinthe bottle may collect between the discoidal portion and the top diskmember and escape about the periphery of the disk without putting anyundue pressure on the cap.

Referring to the drawings, the discoidal portion of the cap is indicatedat it), the peripheral'edge of which merges with an upstandingcylindrical portion 11 which, in turn, merges with a radially extendingannular portion 12, from the periphery of which depends a skirt 13. Thelower end of the skirt terminates in a radially extending flange M.

7 As shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, there is an intermediate 2 radial flange15, from the periphery of which there depends a circular flange 16,which merges with the lower flange 14. This lower flange 14 is formedwith a bead, or ridge, to impart a degree of rigidity to it to preventthe lower portion of the skirt from deforming during application of thecap to the bottle top.

This main body portion of the cap is formed of thin sheet plasticmaterial. It is most economically produced by being moulded in automaticequipment from a web of such material. The skirt 13 is somewhat smaller,or less in diameter, than the outside diameter of the bottle bead 20whereby, during application of the cap to the bottle, the skirt portionI3 is formed about the bottle bead causing the cap to be tightly adheredto the bottle.

The discoidal portion 10 is provided, preferably in its central area,with an aperture, and preferably the aperto re is produced by making aC-shaped incision 22, thereby providing a movable tab 23. The discoidalportion is formed with an upwardly extending projection and, as

cad Hand on which there is positioned a disk 26 formed of paperboard andof sullicient thickness to be relatively rigid. The periphery of thedisk 26 engages the cylindrical portion 11 of the cap. The disk 26 maybe formed with a conventional lift tab 28 for the convenient removal ofthe disk 26, whereupon the tab 23 may be pressed downwardly to provide astraw receiving aperture.

if, after the bottle is filled with cold milk, and subsequentlysubjected to elevated room temperature, causing the milk and air in thespace between the surface of the milk and the cap to expand. thepressure within the bottle will cause the tab 2.3 to lift, as shown inFIGURE 4. This permits the air to escape into the space between thediscoidal portion it) and the disk 26. The vented air will graduallyescape about the periphery of the disk 26. The space between thediscoida] portion 10 and the disk 26 is sutiicient to entrap any mlikthat may pass through the vent aperture effected by the lifting of thetab 23.

What I claim is:

l. A veritable milk bottle cap moulded of thin, sheet plastic materialfor application to milk bottles having an external bend at the top edgethereof, said cap comprising a discoidal portion, a cylindrical portionextending upwardly from the periphery of said disooidal portion forinsertion in the bore of the bottle top, the upper end of saidcylindrical portion merging with a radially extending annular portionadapted to be positioned on the upper surface of the bottle bead, askirt portion depending'from the periphery of said annular portion andbeing less in diameter than the bottle head, said skirt terminating onan outwardly flared rim formed with a circumferentially extendingreinforcing ridge, said discoidal portion being provided with a ventingaperture and being formed with an integral upwardly extending projectioncontiguous to said cylindrical portion and a paperboard disk mounted onsaid projection, the peripheral edge of said disk frictionally engagingsaid cylindrical portion.

2. A milk bottle cap as defined in claim 1 and further characterized inthat said projection consists of a circular bead arranged concentric tosaid cylindrical portion and adjacent thereto.

3. A milk bottle cap as defined in claim 1 and further characterized inthat said venting aperture is in the form of a C-shaped incision formedin said discoidal portion and extending therethrough.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS934,832 Parker Sept. 21, 1909 2,356,632 Van Den Dool Aug. 22, 1944FOREIGN PATENTS 463,961 Italy June 14, 1951 te n 3 I UNKTED STATESPATENT GFFEQE @ERTKHQATE @IF CQRECTION Patent No, 3,059 799 7 October23, 1962 Isaac L Wilcox It is hereby certified that error appears in theabove numbered patentreqiiring correction and that the said LettersPatent should read as corrected belowu Column 2, line 19, after 'as"insert shown, this projection is in the form of a circular line 36, for"mlik read milk line 55., for "projcetion" read projection Signed andsealed this 26th day of March 1963.

(SEAL)- Attest;

ESTON e, JOHNSON DAVID L. LADD Atiesting Officer I Commissioner ofPatents

